Mark,
In response to your questions about Old Sandwich:
Favorite par 4's:
#2 - there are 4 perfectly placed centerline bunkers in the middle of an expansive fairway. A cluster of 3 starts 258 yards from the back tee, while a lone bunker starts 311 yards from the back. The hole bends slgihtly to the right and the uproach is uphill to a very interesting green complex
#5 - as you mentioned, a great short par 4. The prevailing wind is into your face here so it can be tough to bite off too much of the trouble. The conservative tee shot to the right leaves a blind approach. The strong player can pick a line about 50 yards right of the green and the ball will feed left down the hill and near the green.
#7 - the mid-length par 4 that Tom mentions above with the Pine Valley-like green setting. The green sits in an island of sand, the edges of the green feed into the bunkers to catch errant approaches.
#14 - this is a fantastic par 4. The hole bends slightly to the right, but the fairway all slopes quite a bit to the left. So you want to favor the right side of the fairway, but anything pulled slightly left will tumble even further left leaving a tougher angle to the green. The green is elevated with three deep bunkers guarding it. The edges of the green roll off into the bunkers. It's a very demanding short iron approach, but if you do find the surface, the green itself is one of the flattest on the course. A great mid-length par 4.
Par 3's vs. Par 4's
- I enjoyed both, but I would give the edge to the par 4's. I thought there were a terrific mix of short 4's, mid-length 4's and long par 4's. Mid-length par 4's can often be boring an unimaginative but I thought those at OS really shined.
Aerial shots
I didn't feel there were too many at all. Nearly all of the par 4's (except for #7) and par 5's allowed for run-up approaches to the greens. And, the two long par 3's both also allowed for shots to run up. There are few short carries from the tee, but nothing extreme.